MURDER USA Drug Dealer Michael Covert shot dead on Medgar Evers Street in Annapolis; Lashira Addison only winged
Alleged killer murdered one drug dealer and winged another
ANNAPOLIS, MD. — In a neighborhood of public housing with a street named after a hero of the Civil Rights era of the 1960’s, a double shooting has taken one life and spared another as police charged the killer.
Annapolis Police report that the male victim of the shooting, Michael Covert, 36, of 305 Bloomsbury Square, Annapolis, Md., died from his injuries on September 21, 2017. The female victim, Lashira Addison, 41, of Annapolis, has been released from the hospital.
Barnabus Offer Jr., of 705 Mayo Road, Edgewater, Md., was charged with two counts each of attempted first and attempted second-degree murder, two counts each of first and second-degree assault, two counts of reckless endangerment, and illegal possession of a handgun. Offer is being held at the Jennifer Road Detention Center without bond. Detectives are working with the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney to file additional charges against Offer because of the death of Michael Covert.
On September 20th at 7:49 p.m. officers responded to the 1100 block of Madison St for reports of shots fired. Officers located two shooting victims, a 41-year-old woman from Annapolis and a 36-year-old man, in the 1100 block of Medgar Evers St. Both victims were transported to area hospitals for treatment. The woman’s injuries appeared to be non-life threatening, police said that the man’s injuries were more severe, and in fact, proved to be fatal.
Information was developed about a person of interest related to this shooting. At 10:45 p.m. on September 20th Anne Arundel County Police Department sent officers to an address in the 700 block of Central Avenue in Edgewater to look for this person of interest. When officers arrived, the person barricaded himself inside the home, officers set up a perimeter and negotiators responded. As a result, Central Avenue was closed to all traffic for several hours.
Officers and Detectives are on scene investigating this incident. This is an active and fluid investigation and we urge anyone with information about this incident to contact our detectives at 410-260-3439. You can also call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP and submit an anonymous tip. If your tip leads to an arrest or indictment you may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.
At 5:25 a.m. the person of interest exited the home and was arrested without further incident. Detectives from the Annapolis Police Department obtained an arrest warrant for the person, Barnabas Offer, Jr., 25, of Annapolis for two counts of attempted murder and other related charges. Offer will be transported to the District Court Commissioner for his initial hearing.
Two other people were arrested in the 1100 block of Madison St during the investigation into the shooting. Craig Belt, 30, of Annapolis and Delvonta Wright, 25, of Severn were charged with handgun possession and fourth-degree burglary after they were found in an apartment. The apartment resident, who was not home at the time, said Belt and Wright did not have permission to be inside the home. Officers obtained a search warrant for the apartment and a handgun was recovered inside. It is unknown at this time if this is the weapon used by the shooter. Belt and Wright will be transported to the District Court Commissioner for their initial hearings.
Covert had drug distribution charges placed against him by way of an Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Grand Jury on Sept. 20, 2012. In a plea deal with the States Attorney on Sept. 12, 2016, in which Covert may have dropped the dime on another drug dealer and thereby precipitated his own demise in this shooting, his distribution charge was dropped. Covert entered a guilty plea to possession of drugs other than marijuana. THE DEAL: Covert was sentenced to six days in jail.
Covert was charged with distribution of drugs and possession of drugs other than marijuana. In a plea deal on June 16, 2005, Covert entered a plea of guilty to the possession charge and the drug dealing charge was dropped. THE DEAL: two years in jail, credit for time served of 95 days.
Covert was charged with distribution of drugs and entered a guilty plea to that charge on Sept. 19, 2005, in a plea deal with the Anne Arundel States Attorney. THE DEAL: a sentence of two years to run concurrently with the above charge.
Covert was charged with possession with the intent to sell drugs and entered a guilty plea in a plea deal between him and the Anne Arundel States Attorney. THE DEAL: one year in jail.
The charges of attempted murder and the anticipated charges of homicide, once the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner provides a ruling on the murder of Covert allows the Anne Arundel States Attorney to file first-degree murder charges against Barnabus Offer Jr., will be his first recorded criminal charges in Maryland. Offer started at the top of possible crimes.
Peter Sean O’Neill, of Murnane & O’Neill of Glen Burnie, Md., has been appointed by the court to represent Offer.
Lashira Addison, of 1148 Medgar Evans Street, Annapolis, Md., was charged with rogue and vagabond along with theft on Aug. 13, 2015, in Anne Arundel County District Court. On Dec. 7, 2015, the charges were dropped by Anne Arundel States Attorney Wes Adams.
Addison is no stranger to drug dealing in Annapolis. She entered a guilty plea to distribution of drugs on July 27, 1998, and was sentenced to 18 months in jail in a plea deal that suspended all of the jail time. Even with such an easy deal, she managed to violate the terms of her probation and entered a guilty plea to that charge on Feb. 28, 2000, which landed her in jail.
Another charge of drug dealing on April 13, 2003, resulted in a plea deal with Anne Arundel prosecutors. Addison pleaded guilty on Nov. 21, 2003, to distribution and was given two years in jail with all but two days suspended, making it highly likely that she flipped on another drug dealer to lower the load of the jail time she would be sentenced to serve. Addison filed a $500,000 lawsuit against the City of Annapolis in 2015 due to an injury allegedly resulting from a faulty sidewalk in the Eastport public housing project where she resides and does business. The suit was dismissed.
